


Playing God

by ZombifyMeCapn



Category: Jurassic Park (Movies), Jurassic Park Series - Michael Crichton, The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Crossover, Daryl Meets Dinos, Dinosaurs, F/M, bit of a slow burn, people get eaten
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-09
Updated: 2017-05-08
Packaged: 2018-10-29 18:26:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10859586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombifyMeCapn/pseuds/ZombifyMeCapn
Summary: When Merle insists that Daryl come visit him for a week-long excursion on an exotic island, Daryl has half a mind to say no. But when he arrives and is introduced to the beautiful Dr. Liz Morley, he's suddenly glad he said yes. As they get to know one another, darker, more sinister things are happening at Jurassic Park that threaten to break them apart.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first crossover fic. What better world to throw a badass survivalist zombie killer than the world of dinosaurs?

Daryl Dixon hated airplanes; they were far too crowded, far too noisy, and frankly, they flew too goddamn high. He realized that was the whole point, but still, he didn’t have to like it. The kid beside him had one of those Gameboy devices and the volume was up way too loudly, the baby at the front of the plane was throwing a conniption, and the business-suit in front of him was speaking agitatedly into a cell phone. Anxiety ran rampant through him, expelling itself in the forms of bouncing his knee and gnawing on his thumbnail. Finally, the flight attendants began their routine of shutting down cell phones and preparing the plane for flight. An older attendant tapped the suit in front of him on the shoulder, and the man waved dismissively at first.

“Sir,” Daryl heard the attendant say in a clipped tone. “You need to shut your phone off. We’re about to take off.”

_Take off._ Daryl’s least favorite part of flying—not that he did it very often, but his brother had been a persistent douchebag about his visiting for a week. The suit in front of him cut his conversation off and hung up the phone, turned it off seconds later, to the approval of the flight attendant. She moved further up the aisle, repeating herself to other passengers. Daryl huddled into his seat, glancing at the Gameboy beside him. He recognized the game; one of Merle’s dealers’ kids had one. Suddenly the speaker above him rang, signaling the captain’s connection to the PA system.

“Welcome to Southwest Airlines: Isla Nublar Charter. It’s a beautiful day for flying, and we will be taking off shortly.” Daryl tuned out after that and glanced out the window. Fortunately, he was on the aisle, and so he wouldn’t be forced to stare out at the clouds as they soared above them.

The captain went through the rules for flying, and at the heads of the aisles, the flight attendants demonstrated the procedure in the event of extreme turbulence. Daryl’s stomach rolled with nervousness and he lifted his thumb back to his mouth to chew on the nail. His knee was still bouncing a mile a minute, and finally the kid with the Gameboy looked over at him and sneered.

“Can you stop?” he sassed. Immediately Daryl’s leg stopped and he scowled. The kid wrinkled his nose. _Little snot-nosed brat._ Where were his parents anyways? Who let a kid fly alone? He scoffed to himself and turned his head to look up and down the aisle.

The plane moved forward slowly but suddenly, and Daryl involuntarily gripped his armrests with white knuckles. The kid continued Pokemon-ing away, ignoring his flight-mate. As the plane turned toward the runway and began to pick up speed, Daryl glanced out the window at the luggage trains and other planes as they whizzed by. His stomach rolled with nausea and he closed his eyes, preparing himself for take-off. He felt the front end of the plane lift up, and suddenly they were in the air, climbing higher into the blue sky. The plane levelled out, and the ‘Seatbelt’ light went off, allowing the passengers to get up and move around. Daryl made a beeline for the restroom and promptly vomited his meager breakfast into the airline toilet. He shoved a stick of gum into his mouth and sat back down in his seat, but not before asking a flight attendant for a Jack and Coke, as well as a ginger ale for his stomach. If he was going to be stuck on this flight with a snot-nosed brat, he was going to be at least a little buzzed.

He ended up sleeping for most of the flight after he put on an in-flight movie. Not even halfway through, he grew bored and his eyelids became heavy. The kid’s Gameboy hadn’t yet run out of batteries, but Daryl tuned it out as he let his exhaustion take over.

* * *

 “Dr. Morley, to the hatchery. Dr. Morley, to the hatchery,” chimed the PA system. The doctor in question sighed and leaned back in her chair, dropping her pen on the notebook she’d be scrawling in. She lifted the brim of her baseball cap and rubbed her thumb and index finger into her eyes. She’d been up since sunrise, and though it was only noon, she felt the tiredness in her head and in her muscles as she stood. The PA rang again.

“I’m coming,” she muttered in annoyance. She tucked her apartment key into her pocket and flipped the lock on the doorknob as she closed the door behind her. She jogged to the elevator, catching it for a ride to the fifth floor. A small woman was the lone occupant inside, and Liz couldn’t for the life of her remember her name. Molly? Maggie? Something with an M. Either way, the woman smiled timidly and side-stepped into the corner to give Liz space.

The elevator cruised to the fifth floor and stopped, and Liz stepped out and hurried down the hallway. Clear plate-glass windows lined the hall, allowing people walking by to see the goings-on inside the lab. Scientists and biologists in lab coats and protective eyewear hunched over microscopes, flipped through clipboards, and typed away at computers. Liz grimaced; she hated computers. She didn’t even have one in her apartment, having chosen to do all of her note-taking the old-fashioned way—pen and paper. The scenery in the lab changed as she moved along, and the familiar overhead sign for the hatchery greeted her. She scanned her identification card at the pad on the wall, and the small lightbulb lit up green. The automatic doors slid open silently, and she stepped through. She never got bored of the sight inside the hatchery. Four-foot platforms filled the room, each one with an indent inside to cradle a layer of straw that acted as pillows for every egg the lab produced.

The director of the lab, Dr. Wu, turned upon her entry and smiled. He had a clipboard in his hands as well, and Liz didn’t think she’d ever seen him without one. He stepped over to her.

“How was field this morning?” he asked curiously. Truthfully, he lived for Liz’s stories of her field expeditions; he himself was far too skittish to venture outside of the lab. He found safety and comfort in spreadsheets and graphs, and within the fences of the enclosures was somewhere he never wanted to be. So he instead chose to live vicariously through Liz.

“Insightful,” she replied, meandering over to one of the platforms. “Observing herbivores’ maternal instincts is definitely a sight to behold. One of the trikes nearly impaled a Gallimimus that ventured too close to her baby.”

“And the carnivores?” Dr. Wu asked. Liz looked down at the massive, foot-long eggs nestled in the straw, a heating lamp keeping their precious treasures warm inside. One of them wiggled.

She sighed. “Still the same. The raptors don’t take kindly to new infants. Found the carcasses of the two we tried to assimilate. The rex I’m not too sure of. She’s been strangely elusive lately.”

“Where’s the infant now?” Wu questioned. He moved to stand beside her as the egg continued to wiggle. Liz had yet to see an actual hatching of an animal; every time a newborn hatched, she was either asleep or out in the field. Excitement bubbled in her stomach.

“We transported her back to the corral. She wasn’t too thrilled when she woke up from her little snooze. What are these?”

“Apatosaurs. Our first clutch, so fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly.” The pair watched as the first crack was made at the crest of the egg. “Gather round everyone! We’re going to have a new arrival.” The lab technicians crowded the platform to watch; there was a tenseness to the atmosphere as everyone held his or her breath and waited.

As the egg continued to crack, a tiny, yet long head slowly peeked out from between the cracks. The egg tooth on the end of the baby Apatosaurus’s snout glistened with moisture from inside the egg. Soon, pieces of the egg began to fall away, revealing a wet, grey body underneath. The infant Apatosaur’s long neck uncurled and its head emerged from the haven of the egg, to the delight of its audience. Its small eyes swiveled inside its head, taking in its surroundings before it let out a very infantile wail and moved to crawl from the egg. Its body glistened under the heat lamp, and the baby dinosaur lay in the soft hay, breathing heavily. On shaky legs, it attempted to push itself up, and quiet cheers flittered around the room as it remained standing. Liz felt a smile form on her own face as she watched the young dinosaur attempt to walk, wobbling on its skinny legs for the very first time. Its neck was nearly a foot long already, and its tail was even longer. It swung to and fro as the dinosaur waddled across the platform, bumping into the other eggs in the clutch—other eggs that, regrettably, remained still.

Wu turned to address an assistant behind him, ordering her to fetch the park’s veterinarian for an examination of its newest dinosaur. The Apatosaurus raised its long neck and let out a small trumpet. The vet arrived quickly and slid on a pair of rubber gloves. He lifted the dinosaur into his arms and, to the crowd’s disapproval, carted her out the door to his examination room. Liz bid goodbye to Dr. Wu and followed the vet.

On the exam table, the Apatosaurus was putting up a fight. Dr. Carson kept a restraining hand on its head and tail, preventing it from swinging either at him in defense.

“She’s feisty,” Carson observed. “Hand me that sedative there on the counter.” Liz turned and carefully lifted the syringe, passed it off to Carson.

“Now if you can just restrain her for me. Careful, she’s strong for a wiry little thing.”

The baby Apatosaurus could hardly be called _little_ , as she was already nearly four feet long from her head to her tail. Liz grabbed onto the dinosaur like Carson had, one arm around her neck and the other around the base of her tail. She struggled to keep her still as Carson felt for a vein in the baby’s neck, injecting the sedative slowly. Almost immediately the infant began to relax and drooped in Liz’s arms.

“Good. She’ll be quiet for a bit while I complete the exam. So, I heard that the herbivore adoption agency is now open for business.” While he spoke, Carson hefted the large infant to a scale on the counter, taking down her weight before measuring her from snout to tail.

“With the Triceratops, it is. I’m not too sure how the Pachys are going to handle it. A few of the more dominant females have been butting heads like they’re on a rampage.”

Carson hummed as he checked the Apatosaur’s teeth, eyes, nostrils, and feet. “Perhaps they sense something. Or they’re just PMSing.”

Liz glared good-naturedly at the vet as he grinned. The PA system rang again, pausing both of them.

“Dr. Morley, to security. Dr. Morley, to security.”

“God dammit,” she hissed. “We’ll continue this talk later, doc.”

“Sure thing, Liz. Good luck!”

Liz ducked out of the room and back into the hallway, opting for the stairs this time around. Security was on the other end of the compound, but she’d get there faster going two floors down and cutting through Accounting. She reached the security shed in a matter of minutes. Inside, computer monitors reflected the goings-on in every corner of the park—the cafeteria, the recreation rooms, the hotel hallways, plus the enclosures, gates, and everything in between.

A tall, nearly balding man with his back to her stood at the center of it all, turning his upper body as he watched each monitor.

“What is it, Merle?” she asked as she entered after flashing her card key. The balding man turned and grinned widely.

“There’s my favorite doctor.” Merle Dixon was a brute of man with the personality of a teddy bear—almost. His crass and often inappropriate humor left something to be desired, but Liz took it all in stride. Of course, there were plenty of moments when she wanted to deck him for some of the things that left his rotten mouth, but she never did. He was the head of security, and he took his job incredibly seriously.

She rolled her eyes. “Sweet talk, already? At least buy me dinner first.” He barked a laugh and wrapped a long arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. He smelled like cigars, having no doubt sparked one on his break earlier. Liz politely shoved away from him and shot him a look that said _get down to business_.

“Rex has been pacing in front of camera four for a while.” Merle’s tone eked concern and to prove his point, he tapped one of the technicians on the shoulder. The wiry man pressed keys on his keyboard, and camera four’s perspective blew up on the main monitor. On the screen, the massive female Tyrannosaurus could be seen, moving back and forth in front of the camera, shaking her huge head in agitation.

The way her jaws opened and closed told Liz she was vocalizing, but she was unable to hear them. The Rex stopped for a moment and one of her heavily-muscled legs, armed with eight-inch long talons, lifted and then dropped into the dirt. She dug at the earth, kicking up dust that clouded the screen. Liz observed her behavior for a while, watching the muscle ripple beneath her scaly skin. Her tail lashed out, and Liz watched in fascination.

“I know what’s wrong with her,” she said suddenly. Merle turned his head to look down at her, confused by the smile on her face. Liz glanced up at him, a twinkle in her eye. “She’s horny.”

“You serious?” Merle asked, turning back to the screen. Liz leaned forward and pointed her finger at the base of the Rex’s tail, where, just barely, clear liquid could be seen dripping down into the dirt.

“As a heart attack. She’s in heat. Probably why I haven’t been able to find her for a little infant introduction. It’s my theory that a female Rex will keep herself hidden and will vocalize for a mate. Kind of like when a bull moose trumpets. She calls for the males, and they come running and duke it out for the chance to, uh, get it on,” Liz explained. “This nearly confirms it. Too bad we don’t have a male to really test it out.”

“Huh. A horny dinosaur. Who’d have thought? Oh, I told ya ‘bout my baby brother visitin’ by for the week, right?”

“You did. Can I see the raptor enclosure please?” The main monitor changed screens and suddenly they were inside the velociraptor enclosure, surrounding by tropical underbrush. “Turn the camera, please. I’d like to see it all.” The camera moved from side to side slowly.

“I’d like to take him ‘round the park, show him some behind-the-scenes shit. That gonna be okay? I just wanna give him the full JP experience, ya know?”

“You’re head of security, Merle. You don’t need my clearance. Stop!” The camera stilled and Liz peered at the screen. A shadow passed rapidly through the underbrush, and then it was gone. She sighed. The Rex wasn’t the only dinosaur being elusive—but at least the Rex had a reason why.

“I know, but you’re kinda like my higher-up in a way.” Liz quirked an eyebrow. “I think ya gonna like ‘im. He’s more nervous than a fawn but he warms up fast. I reckon he’s pro’lly pissin’ himself on his cruise over here.”

“When does he get in?”

“Should be in in a couple hours. I need to pick him up from the dock. We’ll be back in time for dinner.”

“Cool. I’ve got some things I need to see to. Preparations to make for tomorrow’s tour. Will your brother be joining it?”

Merle smirked. “Hell yeah. Gonna make ‘im sit through the whole Mr. DNA spiel.”

Liz chuckled. “You _are_ the evil older brother aren’t you?”

“Like I said, full JP experience, babe. I’ll catch ya at dinner.”

“Sure thing. Take it easy boys.” Then she disappeared from the room. 

* * *

 

Daryl hated ships even more than he hated airplanes. His stomach was still roiling with sea sickness even as he stepped foot on the dock. A large grey sign advertised _Jurassic Park_ in red letters. Daryl hitched his knapsack higher on his shoulder, sighed, and moved forward with the crowd, his suitcase rolling behind him. He took a shuttle from the dock to the resort, and as the bus rumbled along, he took in the view.

Rolling hills and mountains surrounded the island, covered in green foliage. Only higher up towards the summits did the trees thin out to give way to sharp cliff faces. The sun illuminated everything, giving the island an eerie, ethereal sort of glow. Daryl picked at his thumbnail, wincing when the bus hit a particularly large divot in the road. Soon the transformed school bus pulled up in front of the main building of the resort. Right behind the flat, wide building loomed the hotel, and even further where Daryl couldn’t see, sat the operations building. Daryl stepped off the bus and it didn’t take him long at all to find his older brother.

Merle towered over everyone else as they passed him to check in to their rooms. He was dressed in dark cargo pants, a grey shirt with the Jurassic Park logo embroidered on the chest, and what seemed to be a bulletproof vest with the same emblem. A radio, nightstick, and handgun were strapped to the utility belt at his waist. Daryl hadn’t seen Merle in months, not since he took this damn security gig—if it kept him out of trouble, Daryl wouldn’t be caught complaining—but not much about the man changed, aside from the fact that he looked…happy. Genuinely happy.

And sober.

“Little brother!” he greeted loudly in his raspy voice. He pulled Daryl into a quick hug, made awkward by the latter’s knapsack, before pulling away to grin down at him. “How was ya flight?”

Daryl scoffed. “Sucked. Next time, put me out with one of them tranquilizers.”

“Ahh, you were fine. You’re gonna like it here, baby brother. One o’ the best gigs I coulda landed.”

“It’s the only gig you’ve landed,” Daryl retorted. Merle threw an arm over his brother’s shoulder and led him into the building.

Inside, a life-size skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex greeted them. The main desk curled around the platform upon which the skeleton was attached, and the lobby split off into different corridors behind him. A winding set of stairs led to the second level. Behind the desk, a middle-aged brunette in a headset waited to greet them.

“Welcome to Jurassic Park,” she said robotically, flashing a pretty smile. Merle sauntered up to the desk and leaned an elbow on it while Daryl let his eyes roam the interior. Framed fossils hung along the walls, and interior foliage plants had been strategically placed to decorate the area. Above his head, a banner was hung that read _When Dinosaurs Roamed the Earth_.

Daryl had never been a dinosaur fanatic; sure, he’d learned about some of them in school when he wasn’t getting suspended, but he never truly took an interest in them. It was why he was so confused when Merle first told him about the security job he landed on an island for a biological preserve.

“What kinda preserve? Like a zoo?” Daryl had asked, feeling more and more dumbstruck the longer he listened to Merle.

“Kinda. You’ll see for sure, I promise,” had been Merle’s vague and kind of cryptic reply.

Daryl still wasn’t completely sure what he expected to see at this preserve—elephants or lions or something. He’d never been to the zoo as a kid, so he felt odd agreeing to visit Merle on the island. Not to mention, he didn’t do tropical vacations on faraway islands with fancy drinks in coconuts with little umbrellas. It just wasn’t his thing. Now, as he studied the main lobby, he was feeling even less sure about this.

“Yo, Daryl.” Merle’s voice brought him back to the present. “Let’s go, man. Get ya set up in ya room. Got a lot to show ya.”

With that, the brothers walked around the Tyrannosaur platform towards the corridor at the back of the building. They walked through a dimly lit, wide hallway, upon which newspaper articles had been printed and framed. More fossils were on display as well, and a massive leg bone, from some dinosaur whose Daryl couldn’t pronounce, sat protected in a glass case. Daryl marveled at the size of it, pausing to read the small inscription.

“Hey Merle? What’s a…”

“ _Argentinosaurus_. Big herbivore—leaf-eater. Come on, lots to see.” Daryl fell back into step with his brother.

The end of the hallway revealed a set of automatic revolving doors. Daryl and Merle stepped into the next vacant space and exited the building. A beautiful terrace led the way to the hotel, and mulch beds full of colorful flowers and tropical plants decorated the path. Outside the hotel was a large terrace and sitting area. Wrought iron benches and tables and chairs allowed the guests to relax outside in the sunshine. Daryl thought he’d stepped into one of those travel brochures.

Merle led the way into the hotel and the brothers headed towards the elevators. Daryl’s suite was on the top floor, courtesy of Merle. A large bay window at the end of the hall overlooked the island, but before he could get a glimpse, Merle was tugging him into one of the suites. It was big enough to be an apartment; it came complete with its own kitchen, a sitting area, and one massive king-sized bed. The room was fully furnished in earthy tones, and Daryl’s suite overlooked the back of the building, where he could see for miles across the island.

Momentarily he was stunned, and he just stared out at the rolling landscape. He had to admit, Merle had something good here if this is what he got to see every day.

Merle helped himself to the mini bar in the sitting area while Daryl showered and changed into different clothes.

“Pick somethin’ with sleeves, will ya?” Merle called out to him, twirling the glass in his hand.

“It’s hotter ‘n hell out here!” was Daryl’s quick retort before the shower turned on.

He stood under the spray, letting the hot water wash away the airplane and cruise ship grime, as well as ease the tension in his shoulders. He hated flying and he hated the ocean, but Merle was determined to get him out here, so he dealt with it. He scrubbed his head and rinsed, shut the water off. With a towel draped around his hips, he wiped the mirror and debating on shaving. The small amount of facial hair he had was becoming unruly. _Just a trim then._

Minutes later he reappeared in the sitting area, dressed in new pants and, to Merle’s satisfaction, a short-sleeved shirt. His hair was combed but still hung in his face. Merle set the glass on the minibar and all but dragged Daryl out of the room.

“Le’s go, baby brother.”

Merle took him out of the hotel to the operations building nestled in the trees behind the hotel. It was a grey building with factory chimneys on its roof.

“Helicopter pad is up there,” Merle pointed out, gesturing to the roof. He flashed his card key at the scanner on the wall, and the door buzzed and unlocked. Merle ushered Daryl inside and the elder brother saluted in greeting. “Morning, Tyreese.”

“Morning, sir,” came the security guard’s short reply. He was standing at attention beside a metal detector, and the brothers dropped the contents of their pockets into the waiting bins. Daryl stepped through the detector and followed Merle to a set of stairs.

“So there’s a lab in that main building where we checked in, but there’s a larger one in here as well as the hatchery. Your tour will start at the main lobby in the other building and you’ll get to see a bit of what we do here,” Merle was explaining as they climbed. “In here, there’s also the main surveillance room, and that’s where we’ll head first. We also have a vet’s office in here, Accounting is in here, employee cafeteria, so on and so forth.”

“How many people work here?” Daryl asked as Merle held open the door to the security floor.

“Hundreds, including tour guides and the concession stand workers.”

“Shit. And they manage to pay all of you?”

Merle grinned devilishly and scanned his card key again at another door. Inside, Daryl took in the half-circle of computer monitors and the employees behind them. Along the wall in front of them were more, larger monitors, with one massive monitor in the center. Each of the monitors showed some part of the park—including the enclosures. Daryl found himself rendered speechless as he focused on the enclosure surveillance cameras. On one of them, massive animals with diamond-shaped plates along their backs ambled in the forest, ducking their narrow heads to graze on the underbrush.

“This…this can’t be real,” Daryl murmured as he moved on to the next monitor. Here, the one dinosaur he recognized—Triceratops—grazed in an open field. The sun reflected off the protective frill on its head, and its three horns were sharp at the points. Daryl eyed the two over its eyes; three feet long and ramrod-straight, they were no doubt useful weapons against predators.

“This is that CGI shit, ain’t it?” Daryl asked, but even he knew there was no way it could be. He exhaled in a long _whoosh_ , stepping back a couple steps from the monitor. He looked to Merle, who was grinning at him.

“I had the same reaction, baby brother. When I applied for the job and InGen told me what I’d be working with, I wanted to deck the bastard for tryna play some sick joke. But then they took me on a Jeep tour, out into the herbivore paddock. Damn near shit myself when one o’ them trikes wandered up to the side of the Jeep.”

“This is…” Daryl rubbed his fists into his eyes. “I must be jetlagged out o’ my mind.”

Merle laughed and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “It’ll pass, baby brother, but them creatures are as real as you and me. C’mon, time to see more.” As much as Daryl wanted to stay and watch the animals—the dinosaurs—on the screens, he followed Merle out with new anticipation, wondering what else this park would show him.

“How did they—they’re _dinosaurs_ , Merle. How the fuck even…”

Merle continued to laugh. “Relax, baby brother. When you take your tour, you’ll see soon enough. Speakin’ of tours, here’s ya guide now. ‘Ey, Liz!”

Daryl’s eyes zeroed in on the woman who just emerged into the hall. She was dressed in cargo shorts and a plaid button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail and shoved under a Jurassic Park baseball cap. She turned at the sound of her name and a smile lit up her face.

“Merle! Is this the brother you’ve told me so much about?” She came to a stop in front of them, and up close, Daryl took in the features of her face. It was heart-shaped, and her pert nose was dotted with freckles. Her eyes were the bluest he’d ever seen. Her skin was tanned from time spent in the sun.

“The one and only. Dr. Liz Morley, meet my baby brother, Daryl. Liz is the director of animal research and husbandry.”

Liz threw out a hand, and Daryl hesitated for a second before grasping it. His skin was a shade tanner than hers, and his hands dwarfed hers. She smiled up at him, and for a second Daryl was lost in the blue of her eyes.

“Pleased to meet you, Daryl.” Her voice was like silk. “Merle’s told me a lot about you.”

Daryl still had yet to say anything, and Liz cast Merle a concerned glance. The head of security just chuckled and slapped a hand to his brother’s shoulder.

“Just came outta the surveillance room. He caught a peep at the trikes and stegos. Kinda shell-shocked him, I s’pose.” Liz laughed and turned back to Daryl as they dropped hands.

“The first time will do that you ya. If you liked them, you’re gonna love this. Come on.”

The brothers followed behind her as she led the way down the hall to the hatchery. Daryl faltered in the doorway at the sight of the platforms that housed giant eggs. Some of them were nearly a foot long, and they were organized in a circle amongst layers of hay. Liz stepped up to one of the tables, where ostrich-sized eggs began wiggling. She turned to the brothers and waved them over excitedly.

They flanked her as they looked down at the eggs. One of them began cracking, to Daryl’s astonishment. He found he couldn’t look away as slowly, a small, glistening body emerged from the egg. It was small, not even a foot long, and covered in gunk from inside the egg. Out of the corner of his eye, Liz pulled on a pair of rubber gloves and handed a second pair to Daryl. He looked at them, clueless, until his eyes widened when she picked the tiny dinosaur up and cradled it in her hands. The infant looked almost animatronic—at least Daryl thought that was the word—as it curled and uncurled its claws and tail. It opened its tiny mouth, revealing a set of tiny, but no doubt sharp, teeth.

All of a sudden, the infant was placed into Daryl’s gloved hands and he stared down at the thing with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and awe. It chirped in his hands, its eyes still firmly closed. Its tiny hands were tipped with sharp claws and on its middle toe, a long, curved claw twitched.

In his hands, Daryl held an infant velociraptor.


	2. Chapter 2

Daryl hadn’t stopped staring at the bloodied gloves on his hands, even when the infant velociraptor was taken away for an examination. Liz watched him, exchanging glances with his brother. There was no doubt in her mind that he was completely shell-shocked. Hell, she’d been as well when she got her first glimpse of a prehistoric animal her first day on the job. She pulled the gloves off her hands and tossed them into a nearby biohazard bin.

“Daryl?” she asked. “Ya all right?” Her tone was light, and Daryl blinked and looked up from his hands.

“Y-Yeah, just a little…” He was at a loss for words, but Liz just smiled easily.

“It’s normal. I was the same way on my first day. C’mon, take those gloves off. The tour’s gonna start in about thirty minutes. I can walk ya there.” Daryl yanked the rubber gloves off and Liz disposed of them for him.

Merle broke off from them outside the hatchery, bidding them goodbye and to have fun. Side by side, Liz and Daryl headed to the stairwell and returned to the main lobby. Inside, Liz veered off to the left, down another dimly-lit corridor again lined with articles, awards, and fossils. A set of wide, double doors waited for them at the end of the hall.

“Okay, so the tour will take place in there. I’ve got some last-minute prep to do, but you can go in and take your seat. The show will start soon. See ya later.” She smiled at him and left him at the double doors.

Swallowing, Daryl pulled open one of the doors and went inside. It was, again, dimly lit, and it was set up like a movie theater. Rows of seating curled around a single, large screen at the back. A short platform was in front of the screen, no doubt where Liz would be giving her presentation.

A few people were already seated—two families of three, two blonde women, an African American woman, and an African American man, who were seated together. Daryl picked a seat closer to the front, a few seats over from one of the families. A man close to his age glanced over at him with a smile and a nod. Beside him, his dark-haired wife conversed in quiet, excited tones with their son.

Daryl settled into the seat and waited. More people began to file in and find seats. He ended up between a middle-aged man and a teenager in the fourth row. Finally, the lights dimmed until the theater was completely dark. A spotlight faded in on the stage, and an elderly man walked out with a walking stick. Daryl could see from his seat that the walking stick was topped with some kind of copper stone. The man’s hair had gone completely white, and he wore an equally white, expensive suit.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentleman,” said the man in an accent Daryl didn’t recognize. “And welcome to Jurassic Park.” A small bout of applause broke out in the theater.

“My name is John Hammond, and I am the owner of Jurassic Park and the founder of InGen.” Daryl tuned out as Hammond went on about his history, and then the screen behind him flickered on, and another John Hammond stepped into the frame.

“Hello John,” said the televised Hammond.

“Hello! And how are you?”

“Fine, fine, I guess. But how did I get here?”

“Well, John,” the real Hammond said, “let me show you. First, I’ll need a drop of blood. _Your_ blood.” Hammond reached over to the screen as televised Hammond held out his hand. Real Hammond pricked his finger with an imaginary needle.

“Ow! John that hurt,” whined televised Hammond.

“Relax, John,” retorted real Hammond, “it’s all part of the miracle of cloning.” Suddenly, a second televised Hammond stepped out from behind the first, followed by another and another, until the screen was lined with Hammonds.

Then a cartoony little character zoomed onto the screen and “tapped” real Hammond on the shoulder.

“What? What? Oh, Mr. DNA, where did you come from?”

“From your blood!” the cartoon said. “Just one drop of blood contains billions of strands of DNA—the building blocks of life. A DNA strand, like me, is a blueprint for creating a living thing.” The cartoon DNA strand morphed into a row of blocks and then into a dinosaur before reverting back to his original form. “And sometimes, animals that went extinct millions of years ago, like dinosaurs, left their blueprints behind for us to find. We just had to know where to look.”

Daryl watched as a cartoon mosquito zoomed onto the screen, and Mr. DNA kept talking, “One hundred million years ago, there were mosquitos, just like today, _and_ just like today, they fed on the blood of animals, even dinosaurs. Sometimes, after biting a dinosaur, the mosquito would land on the branch of a tree and get stuck in the sap. After a long time, the tree sap would get hard and become fossilized, just like a dinosaur bone, preserving the mosquito inside.” Daryl didn’t miss the little twirl real Hammond gave his walking stick, and the stone on top reflected off the dim lights.

“This fossilized tree sap, which we call _amber_ , waited for millions of years with the mosquito inside, until our Jurassic Park scientists came along. Using sophisticated techniques, they extract the preserved blood and, bingo, dino DNA!” Daryl didn’t understand the machines moving across the screen, but their process for retrieving sixty-five-million-year-old dinosaur blood was pretty damn smart as far as he was concerned.

Mr. DNA soon bid them goodbye, and the bars in front of the rows of seats came down, reminding Daryl of a roller coaster he rode once. He looked around him, seeing the same confused expressions on the other guests’ faces. His head snapped back to the dais when Hammond introduced Liz for the next part of the presentation. She stepped out in her cargo pants and baseball cap, waving and smiling brightly at the crowd. Her eyes found Daryl and she sent him a quick wink.

“Welcome to Jurassic Park, everyone!” she called. “My name is Dr. Liz Morley. I’m the director of animal research and husbandry here at the park. I’ve been here for three years. Before I worked here, I studied marine mammals as a marine biologist. I’ve been across the world, studying sea lions, whales, dolphins, you name it. When Mr. Hammond called me up three years ago and offered me the job of a lifetime, I knew I couldn’t pass it up. So he flew me out here to observe the park before it opened, and I was amazed by what he had created here. My job here is to study the behavior of the animals we have grown, as well as care for the newborns.” A pretty smile took over her face, and the whole row of seats started to move.

“Now, the first place we’re going to see on this tour is the hatchery. This is only a small facility inside this building. We have a second, much larger hatchery in the building behind the hotel. Here, you can see Jurassic Park scientists observing the eggs as they prepare to hatch. Question?” She pointed to someone sitting behind Daryl.

“How do you get the eggs? Don’t the dinosaurs protect the nest?” one of the blonde women asked. Liz smiled.

“That’s a very good question. I’ll start off this next bit by saying that all dinosaurs in Jurassic Park are incapable of breeding on their own—they’re all female. We’ve engineered them that way. Every organism on earth starts out as a female, with two X chromosomes. At a certain point in development, they require a Y chromosome in order to make them male. Our engineers have discovered a way to prevent this development, causing all of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park to be born female. Not only is it easier to control their chromosomes, but female dinosaurs are much more even-tempered than males. Heightened testosterone in males, especially during breeding season, can often make them extremely aggressive, and for the animals with which we have direct contact, it creates a very dangerous situation for all involved.”

Another hand went up, this one from the brunette sitting a few seats down from Daryl. “You said ‘direct contact’. Does that mean your people regularly go out and…mingle with the dinosaurs?”

“We avoid contact as much as we can, but in certain situations it is required for us to be in close proximity. Right now, I am studying the maternal instincts of every dinosaur on this island by introducing infants to already matured adults. Most of them seem to “adopt” the infants and care for them as their own. I notice this occurs almost exclusively with the herbivores. Unfortunately, every carnivore infant we attempt to assimilate does not survive very long. This “adoption” process requires me to get in close proximity to our herbivores, most of which have very docile natures.”

“How many dinosaurs are on the island?” asked the boy sitting beside the brunette. Liz smiled wide.

“We have twenty species of dinosaurs on this island—sixteen herbivores and four carnivores. Ah, as you can see on the screen, we are about to have a new arrival to Jurassic Park.” Sure enough, on the screen, another egg was hatching in real time. The camera zoomed in as the first crack in the egg caused a communal gasp to reverberate in the theater.

Daryl watched, for the second time that day, as another baby dinosaur made its first appearance. His eyes flickered to Liz on their own accord. She was watching the screen with the same awe he felt earlier. A dreamy smile curved her mouth and Daryl felt a corner of his quirk upwards. There was no doubt in his mind that she loved her job.

“Everyone, meet our newest baby dinosaur!” she said as the infant finally broke through the egg. It was a strange looking dinosaur with a smooth, round dome. Its skin was brownish grey patterned with a deep red. “This is a Pachycephalosaurus, one of our more aggressive herbivores. This species lived during the late Cretaceous period. That domed skull you see is its primary defense mechanism. That dome, once the animal has matured, can be up to nine inches thick. Our research has shown that the Pachys engage in a sort of head-butting ritual, similar to bighorn sheep during mating season. The infant will now be taken to our park veterinarian for examination. We examine every newborn dinosaur on the island, and our adult animals routinely get checked out as well.”

“How do you examine the T-Rex?” asked the same boy from earlier. His eyes were wide with excitement and he was all but bouncing in his seat.

Liz chuckled at his enthusiasm. “Good question. Because of the Tyrannosaur’s massive size and even bigger attitude problem, we have to exert extreme caution when tranquilizing her. We use a helicopter and a giant needle in order to pierce her skin. Our vet then travels out to her enclosure and examines her there, rather than trying to airlift her to his station. Not to mention, our Rex is far too big for us to examine her so close to the buildings. We’ve constructed a very large scale, similar to those used at SeaWorld, so that we can accurately take her weight. Our vet is in and out of there hours before she even wakes up and knows we were there.”

“Can we see her?” piped the little girl with the second family. Her father beside her looked far less interested, and her mother, a woman with short-cropped grey hair, smiled endearingly down at her. Liz smiled again.

“You can. We have cameras in every enclosure on the island to better monitor our animals. A few clicks of a button and… _there_.” More gasps and surprised cries echoed from the crowd as the screen flipped to a camera inside the Tyrannosaur’s habitat. Trees surrounded the screen and the camera lens was focused on a clearing in the middle.

There, to Daryl’s utmost shock and horror, was the Tyrannosaur. She was curled up in the middle of the clearing, napping. Daryl felt himself leaning forward in his seat, and he wasn’t the only one. His eyes roamed over her massive body, starting with the gargantuan head. Her small eyes were closed and she was breathing evenly. Her skin was greyish-green and brown, and the muscles beneath it twitched periodically. Her muscled legs were curled beneath her, and Daryl guessed they were the size of tree trunks. Long, sharp talons tipped each toe. Daryl expelled his breath heavily and felt a small twinge of fear in his veins.

Beside him, the family of three grasped at each other’s hands, but the little boy leaned forward too, an excited and awestruck smile on his face. Liz’s eyes scanned the darkened crowd, taking in the looks of hesitation, shock, horror, and fear on every one of their faces.

“They…they can’t get out, right?” asked the timid woman with the short hair.

Liz smiled compassionately. “Our engineers and construction crew have taken extreme measures to ensure the safety of both our guests and our animals. Each enclosure is surrounded by electric fences, reinforced steel, and hundred-foot drops between each observation area and the enclosure itself. Each fence is charged with 20,000 volts, preventing anything—human or dinosaur—from breaking through. Our tour vehicles are also armored, and each contains an emergency kit in case it is needed. Inside each case are sixteen flares, a flashlight, and a loaded, high-powered rifle. Here at Jurassic Park, we pride ourselves on our intense attention to safety. Now, does anyone have any questions?”

“When do we get to see them?” asked the little boy again.

“Tomorrow, your tour of the park will begin. Unfortunately, I won’t be joining you, but we have a wonderful guide system that will tell you everything you want to know about each exhibit. Now, I believe this concludes our presentation for now. Dinner will be served at six, so you’re all welcome to head back to your rooms or explore the building. See you all later!”

Applause broke out in the theater, and Daryl joined in, clapping much slower than everyone else. His mind was still reeling and he felt as if he were teetering on the edge of a panic attack. As everyone exited the theater, Daryl remained, allowing himself a few moments of silence. Liz remained behind as well, and she smiled softly at him as she approached.

“Hey,” she murmured. She recognized the look on his face immediately. Dropping into the chair beside him, she crossed one leg over the other and leaned back. “So, what’d ya think?”

Daryl didn’t answer for a while. “It’s…unbelievable. It don’t seem real.”

“Yeah, it takes a while to set in. I imagine you’re probably feeling pretty shell-shocked after seeing this _and_ handling a newborn Velociraptor.” He nodded wordlessly. “Ya know, I found that a nice tall glass of whiskey helped soothe my nerves after my first day here. Can I buy ya a drink?”

Daryl looked over at her. She was watching him with a patient smile on her face. He nodded again, and the smile widened. Daryl felt his lips quirk. She nudged him and stood from her seat, waiting while he did the same, only a lot slower. His knees were wobbly but he cleared his throat and hid it as they left the theater together.

They walked into the hotel and Liz made a beeline for the bar, picking two seats and settling into one of them. She pulled her hat off her head as Daryl sat down next to her.

“Two whiskeys, Paul,” she said to the portly bartender. Then, as an afterthought, she said, “Make them doubles.” Daryl’s eyes remained fixed on the granite top of the bar, mind still spinning. When the whiskey was set down in front of him, he didn’t hesitate to lift the glass and toss it back with an expert flick of his wrist. He lifted his hand for another.

Liz sipped at hers more slowly, watching him. “So, Merle tells me you run your own garage.”

Daryl nodded and she watched as the second shot of whiskey disappeared just as fast as the first. “Used to apprentice there for years, and when the original owner died, I didn’t even have to think on it. Bought it outright then and there, the day before the funeral. Man was like a father to me.”

Liz nodded in understanding. “Merle mentioned you guys didn’t have too much of a father figure.”

“Nah,” he replied with a shake of his head. “Always drinkin’, went on week-long benders with different women. Mom died when I was young, so it was just Merle and me for the most part. Merle got in a lot o’ trouble ‘fore he took this gig. Drugs, booze, women. Did a few stints in juvie but no hard time.”

“Merle fits in well here,” Liz agreed. “I think the power goes to his head a bit, but he does well. He knows his job. He’s a good man.”

“What about you?” Daryl found himself asking. He nursed a third glass of whiskey, but this time, he took small sips to make it last. The first two shots calmed his shot nerves—mostly.

“Well, like I said in the presentation, I started here three years ago and took over the husbandry department. Only after I knew what I was dealing with did I decide to take up researching them, studying their behavior. These animals have been extinct for millions of years, and all of a sudden, there they are, waiting for us to observe them.”

Daryl smiled softly at the passion in her voice. “Ya have a favorite?”

Liz grinned. “I’ve always been a carnivore-lover. The Tyrannosaurus is probably my number one, followed by the Velociraptors. They’re fierce, but aside from humans, they’re the most intelligent animals on the planet. They have different vocalizations for different purposes, kind of like whales and dolphins. Chirping, growling, chuffing, I’ve been able to record them all, and in observing their behaviors, I’ve been able to determine what they’re feeling—all by the sounds they make.”

“That’s…incredible,” Daryl said honestly. “Have to admit, I never really was a dinosaur kid. Never had a video player or anythin’. Spent most o’ my time outdoors.”

“To be honest, I never really was either. Of course, I’d read some books on them and seen a couple movies, but I was never their biggest fan. I felt more passionate about marine life, mammals specifically. I studied out in the Pacific following pods of orca, observing their hunting strategies.”

“Sounds like ya got out a lot.” Daryl could only wish he’d had the same opportunities. “How’s ya family feel about ya working with extinct animals?”

Liz shrugged. “They don’t know exactly what I work with, only that I work at some kind of preserve. I thought telling them might force them to call up the closest asylum. Somehow, I didn’t think, “Hey mom, dad, guess what? I work with dinosaurs!” was going to go over so well. Plus, if they knew half about the carnivores here that I do, I know they’d make me come home.”

“How old are ya?”

“Almost thirty. I had a close relationship with my parents, even after they divorced, and they stayed friends as well. It got kind of weird being around both of them with their new significant others, but I got used to it.”

“Ya got lucky.” Daryl’s tone was envious, and Liz frowned.

“Yeah, guess I did. Anyway, are you excited to see the park tomorrow?”

Daryl shrugged one shoulder. “Yes and no. After today, I almost wish I’d been left in the dark about what’s been goin’ on in this science world.”

Liz laughed, and Daryl found himself liking the sound. “Oh, come on. We’ve made a breakthrough in genetic engineering. We get to study formerly extinct organisms and can gather way more information than fossils can ever give us. We can learn their behaviors, their habits, their personalities! You can’t say that isn’t at least a little exciting.”

The sparkle in her eyes as she spoke floored him, and he was unable to look away from her bright blue eyes. Almost involuntarily, he nodded.

“It is pretty cool seein’ them in real life,” he admitted, much to Liz’s delight. A wide smile split her face, and she turned to finish her drink.

“Want another?” she asked, sliding the glass across the counter. Daryl shook his head and downed the rest of his.

“Nah, three’s enough. Think I’m gonna head up and nap ‘fore dinner.” They hopped off the stools and Daryl looked down at her. “Will I see ya there?”

He felt a small swell of pride when she blushed. “Yeah, I’ll be there. There’s some people I want you to meet. Gotta make sure you get the full Jurassic Park experience.” She winked at him and Daryl’s stomach flipped.

“I’ll see ya later then,” he said to her with a smirk. She grinned again and nodded, and they parted ways at the elevator. Daryl watched her walk away, admiring the view, before pressing the button to the elevator.

* * *

 

At six, Daryl had just woken up from his nap feeling well rested. The mattress was comfortable, and part of him wanted to skip dinner so he could enjoy it a little more. But his stomach growling, paired with the desire to see Liz again, pulled him from the bed. He changed his shirt, as he’d wrinkled his t-shirt, and even sprayed a little of the complimentary cologne the hotel had left in the bathroom. He swept his hair out of his face and splashed it with water to get rid of the sleepiness. Then, he made sure he had his room key and left to head down to the dining hall.

It was packed when he walked in, and waiters in black and white outfits flitted from table to table, dropping plates of salad in front of the guests. He searched for a familiar head of auburn hair, and he found it in the corner. Liz had stood up and was waving him over. As he approached, he took her in. She let her hair down, and it fell around her shoulders. She put on a pair of figure-fitting jeans and paired them with a dressy blouse and black boots. She looked damn good, but Daryl averted his eyes to her face when he approached her side.

“Daryl! Hi! I’d like you to meet doctors Edwin Jenner and Henry Wu. They’re the masterminds behind Jurassic Park.” The two doctors sitting at the table rose to shake Daryl’s hand. “Doctors, this is Merle’s younger brother, Daryl.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Daryl,” said Wu with a kind smile. Jenner was slightly more reserved in his introduction, but he smiled kindly nonetheless.

“Merle here?” he asked as he took a seat between Liz and Dr. Wu. He scanned the heads in the dining hall as an appetizer salad was placed in front of him.

“I don’t think so,” Liz replied. “I think he’s still up in surveillance. Something about a malfunctioning camera. He might be down later, though.”

Daryl picked at his salad; he was used to venison and steak. He hadn’t touched a salad in…ever, if he’d had to guess. Liz was halfway through hers when she spoke next.

“Dr. Wu and Dr. Jenner were the first scientists at Jurassic Park. They’re the ones who discovered dinosaur blood in mosquitos and found a way to extract it. Of course, sometimes the DNA strands were incomplete, so they had to fill the gaps in. They used DNA from frogs mostly,” she explained as their salad plates were taken away.

Their entrée was some kind of fish with a vegetable. It smelled exotic to Daryl, but it tasted pretty good. He shoveled some of the vegetables in his mouth and washed them down with the wine that had been served in front of him. He wasn’t typically a wine guy; if anything, he preferred beer or even homemade moonshine. But he doubted they had any shine or anything other than foreign beer, so he settled for a glass of red.

“What is it that you do, Daryl?” Dr. Wu asked kindly. He ate daintily, and Daryl swallowed before speaking.

“I run a garage.” Dr. Wu raised his eyebrows in interest, and Daryl had to wonder if it was honest or if he was just being nice.

Dinner went by smoothly; Dr. Wu engaged Daryl in conversation the entire time, to both his and Liz’s happiness. Dr. Wu seemed legitimately interested in the younger Dixon’s life.

“Well, if it ain’t Dr. Lizzie,” came a gruff voice behind them. Beside him, he felt Liz tense, and he turned to see the cause. A tall, burly man with close-cropped dark hair stood leering down at them, eying Daryl in particular. “You must be Dixon’s brother.”

“Daryl, this is Shane. He’s the head of the Animal Control Unit.” Liz’s tone was clipped, and she kept her eyes trained on the wine in her glass. Daryl’s eyes narrowed at Shane and the way he was leering down at Liz. He didn’t like this man one bit.

“Nice ta meet ya,” Daryl tried, holding out a hand. Shane merely glared at it before setting his hands on his hips and returning his attention to Liz. She hadn’t moved a muscle, and Daryl itched to set a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Lizzie, weren’t we s’posed to have that talk earlier?” he asked gruffly. Daryl glanced curiously between the two of them.

Liz sighed through her nose. “I got caught up today, Shane,” she offered dismissively, sipping her wine. “Maybe some other time.”

“Maybe like, now? There’s some shit I gotta clear up, if you’d be so kind to oblige me.” Shane’s eyes had narrowed to slits.

“No, I don’t think I will. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to return to my dinner. Goodbye, Shane.” Daryl felt a small beat of triumph as Shane scoffed and turned on his military combat boots and stomped away.

“Well, he was nice,” he muttered sarcastically. Beside him, Liz snorted and relaxed.

“Shane’s a gorilla, in body and in personality. He’s also my ex.” Daryl froze momentarily. She met his eyes over her wine glass and Daryl followed Shane’s path again.

“Seems like a real winner. What’d he wanna chat about anyway? If ya don’t mind my askin’.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “Says he wants closure for our relationship. Whatever that means. Thought my breaking things off with him for his temper was closure enough.”

“He ever hit ya?” An unspoken threat laced Daryl’s tone, and he watched for signs of abuse in Liz’s face. But she shook her head, and there was no sign of a lie anywhere on her face or in her eyes.

“No. I would’ve never given him the chance. I’ve dated guys like him before. Guess I just have a weak spot for muscled bad boys.” She rolled her eyes again and Daryl hummed. “What about you? You got a girlfriend back home?” Daryl choked on air and nearly laughed out loud. Him? A girlfriend?

“Nah.” A tiny gleam sparkled in Liz’s eye and Daryl’s stomach fluttered as she mimicked his hum.

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “Just ain’t found a girl worth my time yet.” _But that may have changed._ He mentally slapped himself. He cleared his throat. “How’d ya get mixed up with King Kong anyways?”

Liz laughed as her wine was refilled. “Met him my first year here. We had a problem with one of the Ankylosaurs and both of us were the responding units. He was charming back then, and we went out for dinner that night. Started dating officially a few weeks later. He was sweet, brought me flowers, let me chat his ear off about the animals. We were together up until a few months ago; one day things just changed. His temper got shorter and shorter and I was nearly walking on eggshells around him. He hated hearing about the observations I made about the dinosaurs when he used to live for it. I’m not sure what happened, but when he smashed a vase during one of our particularly nastier arguments, I knew I couldn’t stay with him. I broke up with him that night, told him to stay away from me.”

“So why’d he say ya had to have a chat?” Daryl asked with narrowed eyes.

Liz cleared her throat and glanced at her lap. “He told me he had some things he wanted to tell me, to explain for his sudden change in attitude. Told him I’d give him the benefit of the doubt and that he could have ten minutes of my time. Never got around to it, I guess. I probably didn’t help things by avoiding him at all costs. Told myself I didn’t care why he changed, just that he had, and our relationship suffered because of it.”

“Sorry,” was all Daryl could think to say. She shrugged, and her face relaxed.

“I’m over it.”

“Don’t seem like he is.” Liz glanced over his shoulder where Shane had stormed off.

“I don’t care. Let’s talk about something else, huh?”

Daryl obliged, and they delved into stories of their childhoods. Daryl steered clear of his father’s penchant for violence when he was drinking, but he told her the story of the time he’d gotten lost for nine days. Merle was in juvie, his dad was on a bender with some waitress, and neither of them knew he was gone. He told her how he’d accidentally wiped his ass with poison oak and spent the next week with an itchy ass. She’d laughed so hard her face had turned red and tears appeared at the corners of her eyes. He found himself laughing along at the memory, but he was blushing that she was laughing at his expense.

They stayed in the dining hall until nearly everyone had cleared out, nursing glasses of wine. They avoided any more relationship or dinosaur discussions, choosing instead to play Twenty Questions. He hadn’t played since he was a kid, but he found he didn’t mind her asking him all kinds of questions, from his favorite color to who his favorite Marvel superhero was.

When she started yawning, they stood up from the table and he offered to talk her back to her apartment. She smiled and shook her head.

“It’s in the operations building. Doesn’t make sense for you to walk all the way there and then all the way back. But thank you for the offer.” The way she smiled at him made his mouth go dry. “I hope you enjoy the tour tomorrow, Daryl. You’re in for something special.”

 _Damn right I am_.

He merely nodded and muttered a goodnight before turning on his heel and heading for the elevator. Liz watched him go with a shy smile; she’d thoroughly enjoyed her evening with him, having learned way more about the younger Dixon than Merle let her in on. For one thing, he was similar to his brother in the way he was a hard worker. He went after what he wanted with determination and fearlessness. She supposed she had been the same way, making phone call after phone call to aquariums, zoos, marine labs, anywhere she could find to get them to hire her.

She walked alone out of the hotel and across the way to the operations building. Her shoulders were sore from the day and she could use a long shower. She ran a hand through her hair and flashed her card key, took the stairs two at a time to the employee apartments.

She flicked a light on, throwing the room in a yellowy glow. Her one-bedroom apartment had come fully furnished in pretty neutral tones. The walls were sage green, and the furniture was cream. When she first moved in, she’d made a note to never drink red wine on her sofa. First things first, she threw on an old vinyl record and stepped into her bathroom. It was decorated in a beach theme, with sandy brown marble tiles and blue-grey walls. She set a clean towel on the closed toilet lid and stripped out of her dinner clothes, leaving them in a heap on the tile. She flicked a switch on the wall, turning on the heated floor. She allowed the water to heat up for a while before stepping under the spray.

When she was clean, she threw on a pair of loose shorts and a t-shirt before settling under her covers with her notebook. While she intended to jot down her observations regarding the Tyrannosaur earlier today, she instead found herself remembering back to her dinner conversation with Daryl. A wistful smile made its way onto her face when she thought back to the sound of his laugh, and the way he never really fully smiled with his lips, but his blue eyes lit up and gave everything away.

Shaking herself, she turned her attention back to her notebook to get her Tyrannosaur observations onto the page before she got too caught up in blue eyes and forgot it all.


End file.
